Spring, Ian/Forty, Simon Blitzkrieg in Colour

Rare Colour Photographs from World War II

In 1939, Germany unleashed a new form of warfare in Europe: "Blitzkrieg." The strategy involved breaking through enemy lines via rapid, overwhelming attacks utilizing tanks, motorized infantry, and air support. Employed to devastating effect during the early years of the war, this tactic forever changed the face of modern warfare. Featuring over 250 original color photographsmost of them previously unpublishedthis work offers a compelling visual chronicle of the Wehrmachts Blitzkrieg campaigns in 1939 and 1940, ranging from the initial tank invasion of Poland to the sweeping conquests in Western Europe. Derived from original color slides, the images provide an authentic, vivid glimpse into the past as it appeared to contemporaries. The accompanying historical commentary is based on extensive archival research; together, text and images transport the reader directly to the front lines, conveying both the tactical brilliance of this revolutionary warfare and the terrible human toll it exacted. Beyond tanks, equipment, and aircraft, the book documents the daily lives of soldiers and civilians as well as the destruction wrought by the campaigns: cities reduced to rubble and ash, the German occupation of towns, the flight of the civilian population, and the war's casualties.